Page 6 of Brutal Heir
“I said get the fuck out!” I shout it this time, a tangle of fury and shame ripping at my insides. The first time in months that I’ve had the chance to be with a woman, and I can’t even get it up? This is absolute hell. I’m being punished for all the females I fucked around with and never called back.
The server scrambles off the floor, tugging down her skirt as she races out of the bathroom. I stare down at my limp cock like it’s mocking me. Like it's just as useless and broken as the rest of me.Maybe this is who I am now. Not Alessandro. Not a man. Just… wreckage.
Until the smack of approaching footsteps drags me from the stupor, and I whirl around, slamming the bathroom door closed behind me. Leaning over the vanity, I turn the faucet and run my hands under the cool water before splashing it across my face. Finding my reflection in the mirror, I wince at the sight.
I stare at the stranger looking back at me.
The skin on the right side of my face is a map of ruin. It’s mottled, tight, and uneven. Angry shades of red and pale, waxy pink climb from my jaw to my temple like a fire still frozen in motion. It doesn’t feel like mine either, numb in some places, hypersensitive in others.
The worst part is the eye, the dark one, not its blue twin. It’s still mine, still piercing and sharp, but the skin around it pulls and crinkles unnaturally, like the flames tried to steal it too and almost succeeded.
A trail of silvery grafted skin slices down my neck and disappears beneath the collar of my dress shirt. I don’t need to look lower. I know the pattern by memory, the jagged patchwork that snakes across my chest, ribs, and shoulder.
I lift a hand and run my fingers along the sharp line where healthy skin becomes something else. Something monstrous.
Everyone says I’m lucky I survived.
I’m not so sure.
Blowing out a frustrated breath, I tear my eyes away from the monster. As much as I’d like to, I can’t hide in here forever. It’s only a matter of time before my sister or one of my nosy cousins come looking for me.
If they haven’t already…
Right on cue, a sharp knock batters the door.
“Are you taking a shit or something, Ale?” Matteo’s voice seeps through the thick timber.
My mouth almost curls into a smile at his question. Out of everyone in the family, he’s the only one who doesn’t coddle me. I’m sure my sister or Serena sent him to check on me, but at least he’s smart enough to turn it into a joke.
“Yes, so let me go in peace for fuck’s sake,” I call out.
I wait a few minutes, hoping he’ll get bored and leave but the telltale footfalls never come. Stubborn ass. Heaving in a breath, I flush the toilet and turn toward the door.
Sure enough, I find Matty leaning against the wall, a grin on his face.
“What are you smirking about?”
“Did you get my present?” He waggles his brows toward the kitchen.
“What present?”
“The hot server girl I sent to…”
I barely keep the practiced mask in place as realization slams into me. “You paid her?”
“She’s not a prostitute or anything. I just slipped her a hundred bucks as a little incentive.”
My fingers curl into fists in my lap as I picture that head of blonde hair bobbing on my drooping cock. “Fuck, Matty, what the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking it’s a holiday, and you deserve a little fun after all the shit you’ve been through in the last few months. Don’t tell me you hadn’t thought about hooking up with her. I saw the way you were eye-fucking her at the table.”
Yeah, I’d be fucking her and every other woman alive with only my eyes for the rest of my life because apparently my dick is broken. “I hadn’t,” I grit out, the lie easily spewing out.
“So did she even try to come on to you? Otherwise, I’m going to have to get my money back.”
“No,” I snap. “Don’t. She did try… I blew her off.” Again, the lies effortlessly tumble out.
“Why would you do something so stupid?”
